Read Along Week 1
The Republic of Thieves Read Along! You have no idea how excited I am for this. I’ve got a million things going on — traveling for work, taking a class on historical fiction, yoga, planning a vacation, and just remembering to breathe as I run from one thing to the next. But, I don’t care about any of that right now. Yay for this!
Dab of Darkness is hosting this week’s questions. If you want more info, want the schedule, and want to see who is hosting in the upcoming weeks, go to Little Red Reviewer.
Prologue through Intersect I is covered in this week’s reading.
1) We get to reminisce with several old friends in this section – Carlo, Galdo, Chains. How did you like this? Bitter sweet or happy dance?
Bitter sweet, with a side of happy dance. I loved all these characters in the previous books so it was nice to have them back, even if only for a short time. For some reason, I particularly missed Chains; it was nice to see him being fatherly to Locke, since he’s rockin the death bed right now.
2) Finally, the infamous Sabetha makes a physical appearance, albeit in Locke’s reminisces. What are your impressions? How do you think the romance, if there is to be one, will play out?
I think I like her, so far. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to think of her since she’s being filtered through Locke’s eyes, and, well, you know, he’s not always the best judge. How will a romance play out? Sad. It will end badly, sadly. I’m willing to hold out for a happy ending though. Any chance of that?! Yea, probably not, but I can go there, for Locke’s sake.
3) After trying absolutely everything to save Locke, Jean still won’t give up. What did you think of that little pep talk he gave Locke concerning Patience’s offer of healing?
This is why I like Jean — right to the point. And Locke listens. Jean needs to be all — we’re doing this so shut it more often. Of course, I’m with Locke on it being a bad idea to fix this election but it means he’ll be alive, and really, it’s not like he hasn’t gambled with his life before. Come to think of it, isn’t that where all the fun is for these two?
4) Locke has a few caveats to working for the Bondsmage. Wise or just Locke grasping for some control over his life? What would you ask Patience?
Grasping for control. I agree with him on wanting caveats though. Locke’s pretty good at seeing a few steps ahead and he needs that for this upcoming ploy.
I don’t know what I’d ask Patience. It would be something so boring and mundane — like what gifts I’m going to buy people for the holidays because I loathe shopping and thinking about what to buy people is torture — that she’d probably just leave the room.
5) At the end of this section, we see that all is not as Patience laid it out. How much do you think Patience knows of the plot to off Locke and Jean? Do you see it interfering in the rigged election?
Leave it to Locke and Jean to step in something like this. I have all the confidence they will somehow get out of it, when Sabetha shows up and gets them out of it. That can happen, right?!
Just Book Reading 
I agree that we are seeing Sabetha through a Locke-filter. I wish we could see her point of view. I imagine she is rather complex.
Poor Locke and Jean keep having to gamble at the highest stakes. (But that’s probably a good thing for us!)
Interesting answers. I like that Jean makes Locke shut up as well. Jean’s definitely the smarter of the two and is going to be in his intellectual element with this scheme to rig an election. Seeing Locke and Jean improvise their way out of this crazy scheme is going to be fun!
Yes to Jean’s forthrightness! Definitely spot on and quite necessary sometimes to just shut Locke up. At the end of the day unless he lives he won’t be around to wriggle out of the scheme in his usual fashion.
Sabetha – I’m definitely on the fence with her at the moment. Don’t quite know why but I wouldn’t say at this moment in time that I love her although she’s definitely got the smarts.
Lynn 😀
I guess Patience isn’t poisoning them, so they’re on better footing this time than the last time they gambled with their lives! And holiday shopping… I would so love to use magic for that: ‘get everyone I care about something that is meaningful and successfully implies how much I love them’. I kinda hate shopping, too.
Hell yeah does Jean need to tell Locke to shut up more often! Locke just dives into things without thinking, Jean seems to quite often have a larger worldview mindset of things.
I’m so happy to finally meet Sabetha. She’s quieter than i expected. not shy, but quiet. somewhat disinterested in her foul mouthed housemates. But when the Sanzas are singing songs that dirty, how can you not grin?
Knowing how things have turned out in the past for some of the characters, I too worry how things will go with Sabetha. Poor Locke.
That is so true. Locke seems to be the most alive, the most engaged, when his life is on the table as part of the gamble.
2. I would be very, very surprised if they have a happy ending – I just can’t see Locke every being truly happy with life.
3. What happens after Locke is cured is less important than actually getting the cure in the first place as far as I am concerned, but Locke is a moony baby at times, so I am not really surprised by his refusal to cooperate.
5. I doubt that Sabetha is going to be very helpful when she turns up – it is much more likely that she will have been paid to kill them.